


A Cold Day In Hell

by Sniffing



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, hux saves kylo, teeny tiny bit of angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-12
Updated: 2016-01-12
Packaged: 2018-05-13 07:59:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,291
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5700994
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sniffing/pseuds/Sniffing
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hux knows that he is the only one that would save Kylo before Starkiller base explodes, since he has the tracker to get the idiot's exact location.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Part One

**Author's Note:**

> So this is my interpretation of how Hux would find Kylo and what happens afterwards. Beware: it's probably not accurate to the events in the movie, because even though I saw it twice, I can't remember exactly how everything went down. I may or may not add in another chapter from Kylo's perspective later on. I'm not sure, personally I feel that I could've done better on this to not allow it to be so cliche, but I'm tired and I have nothing to lose. I edited myself so sorry for any grammatical/spelling errors.

            **A Cold Day In Hell, Part One**     

           The noisy wail of the alarms pierced Hux’s ears. Of course this didn’t help ease his anxiety at all. He should’ve known the Resistance would attack right before the superweapon was set to fire. They would’ve wanted the girl back. It was all too predictable. If everyone survived, he was sure Kylo would have his head in a skull-crushing Force grip. Ren would make a show of it too, slowly torturing him before Phasma and the remaining troops. All to prove that he could do it. Hux felt a cold shiver down his spine.

            Of course, that devil of a man had gone missing. Hux would’ve preferred it to stay that way, and if it were all up to him, Kylo would freeze to death outside in that storm. But it was never about Hux, was it? Snoke would kill him for not doing everything in his power to save the kid.

            Phasma had already sent out troops to look for Kylo. Hux watched silently, hands tucked neatly behind his back, as the stormtroopers trudged through the snow. It was rather disappointing, the freshly fallen snow on the ground formed a perfectly smooth blanket. It was orderly and neat against the chaotic sky. But the order was quickly becoming chaos as the troops broke the blanket, tearing it thread by thread, as they searched for Kylo Ren.

            Too bad they knew not where to look. Hux would have to go out there himself, for only he knew the exact location of Ren. He pulled a contraption from the pocket of his greatcoat. It beeped to power, and out shot a beam of bright blue light. The beam split into several more, each curving and forming a spherical shape. A map of Starkiller base appeared before Hux’s eyes, and after quickly checking that Kylo had not returned to the base, he pressed a button, which caused the hologram to zoom out to a larger scale view of the surrounding area. A red dot pinpointed the location of that blundering idiot.

            Hux quickly memorized the location of the dot in relation to other landmarks along the way, and turned off his tracker. He placed it back into his greatcoat and tied a too-long wool scarf around his neck and face. He reached, almost unsuccessfully for his Wookiee fur-lined hat and headed out, effectively avoiding detection.

            He knew once Phasma realized he was gone as well, she would be throwing a tantrum fit to rival those of Kylo. But he had no time to tell her of his rescue mission. He was already racing—rather ungracefully—through the pine forests, tripping several times over logs and other obstacles hidden under the snow blanket. His face stung as icy pellets clawed at what little skin was exposed.

            Shouts and cries of pain echoed through the trees and helped to lead Hux to his destination. _Shit._ If there was a fight, it was likely that Kylo would be injured, or possibly worse. This would do no good. How could he let Kylo die, especially right under his nose like that? Snoke _will_ kill him.

            The screaming soon died down, which galvanized him to sprint. Luckily he was close, and a dark lump appeared on the horizon through the white haze.

            “ _Ren!_ ” Hux shouted.

            No response.

            He slowed and stopped to examine the body on the ground in front of him. His skin was blue from the cold, and blood that would’ve normally been still running hot was already black and crystalizing on Kylo’s skin. A hideous gash split his face into two separate planes, but it was nothing that wouldn’t be able to be healed. The surrounding snow was painted red—a wine stain on this pristine blanket. Hux stared down at the body in contempt. However, this contempt was masquerading for something darker. Deep down in the pit of his gut, Hux felt despair. Who would he have to be cross with if Kylo was gone?

            He knelt down beside the body and placed a hand to Ren’s neck. His heart skipped a beat when he felt a slow pulse. It was as if he was just sleeping. Hux had never seen such a peaceful expression on the younger man before. All of the muscles were relaxed in a way they’ve never been before.

            He quickly shook himself of his gawking and slung Kylo’s left arm over his neck and lifted the man bridal style. He nearly lost balance, as Ren was a bit heavier than he looked, but shifted his center of gravity and adjusted properly.

            His muscles burned as he staggered along back to the base, when he felt a shift in the weight on his arms. He looked down at Kylo’s face, watching for any signs of life. And he got one—Ren’s eyelids slowly began to open and he groaned in pain.

            He made a sound that, to Hux, sounded suspiciously like “Who?” but he couldn’t be exactly sure.

            “Shut your face!” Hux hissed, resisting the urge to slap Ren because of obvious reasons, “Impulsive dolt!”

            He trudged on as fast he could. As luck would have it, a log hidden under the snow made its untimely manifestation just as Hux jammed his foot underneath it, cause him to drop Kylo, who didn’t even seem to have the energy to yell out in pain as Hux fell on top of him.

            “ _Shit! Shit! Shit!”_ This became Hux’s mantra as he pulled himself out of the awkward position his body was in and attempted to salvage his dignified mien.

            “H—Hux…” Kylo croaked, “You’re…worthless.”

            Hux rolled his eyes, “You’re welcome.” He kneeled on one knee to pick up Kylo again, who, to Hux’s astonishment, actually cooperated.

            As blood began to pump back through his body, Kylo weakly wrapped his arms around Hux’s neck and rested his head against his chest. Hux felt an odd feeling in his gut, but tried to ignore it and pressed on.

            “I can’t believe I lost a battle to an untrained scavenger and a traitor,” whispered Kylo, sounding extremely fed up with himself.

            Hux glanced down at him, “Your training isn’t yet complete. Don’t be so cocky.”

            “General,” Kylo cautioned. He began pouting like a moody little child having a fit.

            Hux made it safely back to the base with a frozen Kylo in his arms. Stormtrooper medics barreled towards Hux and Kylo, placing him on a stretcher and taking him in the direction of the command shuttle.

            A stormtrooper grabbed Hux’s arm rather violently, “Please, General, sir! This base is no longer stable. I highly suggest you make your way to the command shuttle as quickly as possible! You won’t have enough time to return to your quarters to gather your things. The place will blow any minute now!”

            Hux grunted his thanks and weaved through a large crowd of stormtroopers and droids towards the command shuttle, where he met Phasma.

            “Hux! I swear you’re becoming Kylo Ren! Your disappearance was worrisome and discommoding. We’re neck deep in shit now!” She bellowed, cuffing him over his head. It really hurt, considering her gloves had metal fingers.

            “I apologize, I had to save the toddler. I thought we made an agreement that today was your day to watch him?” Hux spat. He was not in the mood to argue, so he relaxed his stance.

            Phasma took off the helmet of her armor. Her hair was pulled back into a sloppy bun and her face shined with a layer of sweat. The two nodded to each other and headed off to their respective stations.

            All the while, Hux felt a tinge pull at his gut. He would finally admit it to himself—he was worried about Kylo. The man’s niche in his world as the neurotic git wouldn’t be easy to refill. He was a healthy dose of chaos in Hux’s systematic existence. As annoying as Kylo could get, he was an anchor to the General’s sanity, despite it seeming the opposite.

           

            He watched out of the window of the command center as Starkiller base burst into a cloud of fire and debris. Though it was impossible at this distance, he was sure he could feel the heat of the explosion radiating through the glass. The light from the explosion filled the room with a sunset orange hue.

            He felt as if he were flying on autopilot now. His emotions were numbed with depression and fatigue. All that he worked for, gone. Destroyed in the blink of an eye. Snoke will kill him for being an incompetent general, if Ren didn’t first. He ran a hand through his hair and massaged his temples in an attempt to force some feeling into his head. There was nothing left for him, nothing to do—

            But there was _something_. He excused himself, and ordered no-one, stormtrooper or droid, to enter the medical center. Inside, his senses were shocked by a cacophony of beeps and whirring from equipment. He pulled the most comfortable looking chair up next to the bed in which a raven-haired man lay. He stared down at Kylo’s face. It held the same peaceful expression as it had back in the forest, the only difference being the stitch-swollen wound that ran from the left side of his forehead to his right cheek. Hux found himself staring at it for what could’ve been seconds or days, for all he cared. His body began to fill with lead as his fatigue got the best of him. By the time he was curled up in a small ball, resting his head on its arm, his eyelids were drooping beyond salvation.

            The calm was euphoric, between warmth from his body and being alone with Kylo—which, for the first time, was not unsettling at all, instead, was quite the opposite. This was the closest he could come to happiness, and being satisfied with that thought, allowed sleep to finally free him.


	2. Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This part is from Kylo's perspective, after he wakes up in the hospital. I edited this myself, so any grammatical/spelling mistakes are unintentional.

**A Cold Day In Hell, Part Two**

           His feeling came to him slowly, oozing back like blood. If this was conscious, Kylo decided, it sounded a lot like whirring and beeping of several different pitches. He also decided that he liked unconsciousness a lot better than whatever this was. His body felt as heavy as lead, and it was as if his eyelids were glued together.

            Memories suddenly flooded back to him. All of it. He remembered driving his lightsaber through his father’s chest, being shot by Chewbacca, being defeated by the scavenger and the traitor. His general saving him. He felt dead inside, just as he wanted. All of this pain he continues to bring upon himself, all of the emotional toil and physical agony, brings him closer to the dark side of the force—chases away the light.

            After several attempts, he finally managed to rip his eyes open. The bright light attacked his sight and temporarily blinded him. A few moments allowed for his eyes to adjust, and he looked around. There at bedside, something was lurking in a chair. He couldn’t turn his head to see what.

            This was a perfect opportunity to hone the Force, Kylo decided. There was a sputtering and a few coughs, followed by a too-familiar someone shouting his name. Of course it would be Hux. Just for his amusement, Kylo continued to Force choke his general. He knew the man was no coward, he did not easily give in, so unfortunately, he would not have the pleasure of hearing Hux beg to be let go. Combining this with how Hux was still useful to him and didn’t need to be put out of action, he alleviate the choke.

            “ _What the fuck,_ Ren?” Hux gasped, his boots stomping on the floor.

            Kylo entered Hux’s mind and commanded him to remove the IV pumping sedatives into his veins before someone came to refill it. The General, apparently not in the mood to fight back, obediently did as he was told.

            As the drugs began to wear off, Kylo turned to glare at Hux, who returned an equally icy glare from his mossy green eyes.

            “How are you feeling?” Hux asked as he sat back down on the chair and rested his elbow on his knee, causing him to lean forward intently. His head was supported by his hand.

            Kylo scrunched his face, but stopped when he felt an odd pull of his muscles refusing to move. He assumed it was the stitches preventing him from pulling a nasty expression, but he couldn’t feel pain because of medications.

            He sighed, “I’m not. “ More than ever, he wished he were, for the pain would strengthen his ability with the Force.

            Hux’s brows furrowed, “You say that as if it’s a bad thing. Wouldn’t you rather feel nothing than pain?”

            Kylo attempted to sit up quickly, but his muscles weren’t reacting as fast as he’d like them to. Perhaps the sedatives hadn’t completely worn off yet.

            “Pain is growth. It’s power, Hux. Of course you wouldn’t understand,” Kylo began passionately, though his voice decrescendoed into his second sentence to avoid getting riled up.

            The General’s hand left his cheek, “Mind if I ask who has been feeding into that mentality?” His freckled face screwed into a countenance of concern.

            Kylo cocked his head, “Why would you care?”

            Hux bit his lip as his ears flushed red. His eyes darted from machine to hellish machine and back. If only for a second, Kylo felt a twinge in his gut from the innocent look the older man was pulling. On certain days, he found his general endearing, especially when his hair was worn naturally. Those damn ginger strands fell over his forehead in such a way that Kylo could not tear his eyes away. He never let it get in the way of their professional lives, as both of them had a huge job to do that did not allow for wiggle room for petty distractions such as infatuation.

            However, as of right now, Kylo Ren was out of order. Broken down. Inoperative. Neither of them were on the job, so he could play that game.

            Kylo gathered his wits and cast a charming air about himself. He narrowed his eyes and smirked at the General, who appeared to grow ever-more flustered. “I see,” He drawled. Frustrating Hux was one of his favorite pastime activities.

            “Ren, what are you trying to get at?” Demanded the General, who was appearing to grow rather uncomfortable.

            Kylo choked out a laugh, “Why did you come and visit me? How long were you here for?”

            “I—I, you see—uh, I wanted toc be sure that you—that is to say…” To see this usually neat and stoic man begin to crack under the pressure of suggested interrogation was a sight to behold for Kylo. Hux never stumbled over his words like this. However, he took pity on the poor man, and decided to press the words out of Hux using the Force before he hurt himself. The General actually fought back, attempting to deny Kylo access, as if he were hiding something.

            The dark warrior smirked, “Hux, do you have a secret that you’re keeping from me?”

            “ _N—No!”_ The older man growled, pulling his lips back into a snarl.

            “Then why are you putting up a fight? You don’t actually _care_ about me, do you?”

            Hux breathed deeply, his face soaking with sweat.

            “Admit it, Hux,” Kylo whispered teasingly, “You do care about me. You want me, don’t you?”

            Hux put a hand to his forehead, and shouted out, “ _Yes!_ Alright! I admitted it, will you let me go?”

            Kylo let out a throaty laugh, “I want to hear the words come out of your mouth.”

            “ _I care about you! I—I do want you, Kylo!”_ Hux yelled through gritted teeth. That was enough for Kylo, and he let the General go.

            He watched over the side of the bed—thoroughly satisfied with himself—as the red-headed man fell to his knees on the tile floor to catch his breath, effectively making him look small.

            “Fascinating,” Kylo smirked.

            “Please, I beg of you,” Hux panted, “Don’t tell anybody about this!”

            But he ignored the plea, “What if I told you I could take you on this bed, right now?” A bluff, since no sexual actions would be very satisfying while medicated.

            The General looked up at him with a completely panicked look. Of course that stupid ginger hair had to fall into his face at a moment like this, “No, Kylo. You need to heal first. I wouldn’t want it to be here, or with you under medications like this. It—it wouldn’t be right for me, or for you.”

            Kylo decided that the words coming out of Hux’s mouth were golden. Since when did the General feel compassion? Since when did he care about anything except the First Order or himself? However, a hidden spark inside of Kylo was beginning to grow into a tiny flame. He wouldn’t want to admit it, but a giddy feeling was manifesting, it began within the pit of stomach, and spread out throughout his entire being. Perhaps he felt a little more than infatuation with this man? Was that it? Was he feeling _love_? What if he let this feeling surface? Anxiety rocked his body. Should he? It would be a change, that’s for sure. But nothing in his life was constant state of being. He was used to change by now; change _was_ his constant. Perhaps Hux could balance him out. The man was his complete opposite—that much they could both admit. But maybe Hux could complement him, and he could complement Hux. He wouldn’t lose touch with the dark side, because he still held so much resentment inside of him. Besides, rejection would only bring him closer to the dark side. It was a win-win situation.

            “We’ll wait then,” Kylo said finally, reaching a hand down to Hux’s shoulder, who flinched at his touch.

            The General said nothing, clearly still attempting to soak everything in. Actions are worth more than words, Kylo figured, and pulled the older man into an amorous embrace. Amorous, yet awkward, considering Hux, blocked by a metal guard rail on the side of the bed, was hovering over Kylo, who was sitting up in the bed.

            “When I said you were worthless, back in the forest, I didn’t mean it,” Kylo whispered into Hux’s ear.

            Hux broke the embrace, a sullen look suddenly fell upon his face, “Kylo, Starkiller base! It’s been destroyed… I’m sorry. I have failed you as a general.”

            “I figured it had been.” Kylo grabbed Hux by the wrist and pulled him onto the bed. The younger man did his best to move to the side to make room for his new lover to scooch in. The bed was small and rather uncomfortable, but he was feeling rather spontaneous and had the urge to cuddle. “You haven’t failed me yet.”

            Hux rested his head in the crook of Kylo’s shoulder, “We can’t stay like this for very long. If someone finds us, it would be ruined; besides, we have a ship to run!”

Kylo simply rolled his eyes and wrapped his arm around Hux, meant as a gentle ‘shut up’. Perhaps Starkiller was not lost in vain. Perhaps everything had led up to this moment in time. A moment which he wished would last forever, despite it not being the most comfortable. It would have to end sometime, but he would make sure it would happen again, only next time in his own quarters, on a proper bed, and without all of the medically-induced numbness.

 

~ _fin_


End file.
